Gulf of Oman – GULF OF OMAN (Jan. 18, 2022) U.S. service members conduct a boarding on a stateless fishing vessel transiting international waters the Gulf of Oman as a rigid-hull inflatable boat and patrol coastal ship USS Chinook (PC 9) sail nearby, Jan. 18. (U.S. Navy photo)
The US Navy 5th Fleet seized on January 18 a stateless fishing vessel carrying loads of a chemical material that can be used to make explosives in the Gulf of Oman, the US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) announced on January 23.
“Guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) and patrol coastal ship USS Chinook (PC 9) interdicted the stateless vessel transiting from Iran in waters outside of any state’s territorial sea along a route historically used to traffic weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.
During a flag verification boarding and subsequent search, U.S. forces discovered 40 tons of urea fertilizer, a chemical compound with agricultural applications that is also known to be used as an explosive precursor,” the NAVCENT said in a statement.
According to the NAVCENT, the same stateless fishing vessel was seized by the US Navy in February 2021 off the coast of Somalia while it was attempting to smuggle weapons. Back then, the vessel and its Yemeni crewmembers was handed over to the Yemeni Coast Guard.
Last December, the US Navy 5th Fleet seized a stateless fishing vessel carrying 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition in the North Arabian Sea. Back then, the US Central Command said that the vessel originated in Iran and was sailing along a route used to traffic weapons to the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen.
The US Navy 5th Fleet’s anti-smuggling operations in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman are clearly meant to support the Saudi-led coalition’s war on the Houthis in Yemen.
